mcewen



J. B. McEWEN.

PIANO A AND PLAYER.

APPLICATIO D APR-26,1916.

1,32 1,654. Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

r 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Emmy

I. B. McEWEN.

PIANO AND PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 19MB.

1,321,654.. Patented .11,1919.

2 SH'EE HEET 2.

JOHN BLACKWOOD MOEWEN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PIANO AND PIANO-PLAYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 11, 1919.

Application filed April 26, 1916. Serial No. 93,637.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN BLACKWOOD MoEwnN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at 25 Abercorn Place, St. Johns 00d, London, N. VV., England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Pianos and Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to devices of the type in which the'movement for actuating hammer used for striking a string of a musical instrument as in a piano or the like, is modified between the original source and the point at which it is imparted to the hammer action. Such modification may take the form of an alteration in velocity or accentuated acceleration, or it may affect the amount of the movement and thus be called an adapted movement.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means formodifying the hard brilliant quality of tone produced by mechanical pianos and piano players and obtaining a full sympathetic quality of tone. The invention consists in a piano player or mechanical piano in which the motion imparted to the hammer actions may be either given an accentuated acceleration, as by a rolling surface fulcrum, or may be adapted as by changing the position of an edge upon which a motion transmitting lever fulcrums.

The invention also consists in lmprovements in pianos and piano players as here inafter described.

Referring now to the accompanying more or less diagrammatic drawings which show by way of example some forms of the invention:-

Figure 1 is a fragmental section showing the pneumatics and key fingers with theconnecting lever device applied in one way 1n a piano player, while Fig. 2 shows similar mechanism w th the adjustable fulcrum in a different pos tion.

Fig. 3 shows an application of the invention to a mechanical piano.

In carrying the invention into effect in the form illustrated by way of example in Figs. 1 and 2, a isan ordinary pneumatic operating bellows to which is connected the sticker or push rod 72. The rod 6 is connected toone end of a lever c from the farther end of which a tension rod 05 or (Z connects tothe key fingers e or e which are pivotally mounted upon the fixed fulcrum point f and act upon the keys of the instrument by means of their pressing ends 9 or g in the usual manner.

The levers 0, of which the ordinary number necessary for playing the instrument are provided, are in contact with an adjustable fulcrum bar it running the entire length of the row of levers. This fulcrum bar is provided on' its lower side with a segmental or ciding with the angularfulcrum edge 72, of I the bar and the latter of which is carried upon a short projecting arm is so formed that the trunnion j is vertically over the trunnion i when the fulcrum bar is in its extreme right-hand position.

The trunnions z'. and j are free to move in slots Z and 972., formed in guide plates or the like situated at each end of the fulcrum bar. If desired, the trunnions may be provided with sliding blocks and the slots enlarged to accommodate these blocks in order to provide additional bearing surface.

The lever 0 will rock upon the fulcrum bar h when the latter is in the extreme righthand position as shown by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 which show the mechanism in the position it occupies when the pneumatic a moves to operate the key finger. When moving to the position shown in dot and dash lines the lever 0 may be prevented from sliding horizontally upon the segmental surface of the fulcrum bar by means of swinging links 1?, attached to the lever at n'and pivotally mounted at n upon a fulcrum 0, the point n being chosen so as to coincide with the virtual fixed rocking point of the lever.

WVith the fulcrum bar in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 it will be clear that upon the upward movement of the sticker 7) the lever 0 will rock upon the whole of the lower curved surface of the fulcrum bar it so that the pull rod d will be accelerated from zero to maximum velocity during the period of its movement, the motion being hardly appreciable during the early stages of the movement of the sticker b and increasing rapidly 'until it attains a maximum velocity when the lever is in contact with the extreme left-hand edge h of the fulcrum bar; the mechanism therefore under the above conditions provides for an accentuated acceleration of the key finger and consequently of the key and hammer during the ctual motion thereof, as distinct from a general increase of the velocity of the parts or reduction of the time taken to complete a movement.

When the fulcrum bar is moved to the left to the position shown in Fig. 2, the lever 0 will pivot about the point if and the arms will retain a fixed ratio throughout the total motion. The amount of movement of the pull rod (Z will in the position shown be the same as under the last conditions and will coincide as regards time with the movement of the sticker '1) or, in other words, will be normal. In any intermediate position between those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lever 0 will still fulcrum about the point 72 so that the movement of the pull rod (Z for any intermediate position of the fulcrum will still be of the usual kind and will only be modified in its amount or adapted by the ratio being altered, thus providing an infinite variety of expression,

The fulcrum bar it may be moved by means of a link 4) shown dotted in Fig. 2 connected to the trunnion i or to any other more convenient point, such link being connected directly or by means of suitable levers and linkage with an operating lever, handle or the like to indicated diagranr matically in Fig. 2 and situated upon the control board of the instrumentwithin easy access of the operator. Frictional resistance or other means may be introduced to prevent undesired movement of the operating lever 10, and at the same time render it easily movable when required. By this means a tone of the ordinary hard brilliant quantity or one of sympathetic quality together with great variety of expression is obtained as desired by manipulation of the operating lever '21).

In carrying the invention into effect in the form shown in Fig. 3, as applied, by way of example, to a mechanically played piano, pneumatics A provided with sticker or push rods B are arranged to operate an ordinary type of hammer mechanism 1) by means of a lever system embodying the fea tures of the invention.

A fulcrum bar H runs the whole length of the instrument and is mounted by means of trunnions I, J working in slots L, M

in the manner already described with regard to the fulcrum bar it and so that its corner H is capable of acting as an angular fulcrum edge when it is moved toward the left-hand side of the figure.

The levers C cooperating with. the fulcrum bar are restrained from movement in a horizontal direction by swinging links N pivoted about the points I and attached to the levers at N, and these levers are connected by means of rods 9 with short levers '1 hinged or pivoted at a fixed point 8 and co operating at t with the arm at (shown broken) of the ordinary hammer mechanism 7), the ratio of the lengths of the equivalent arms of the levers 1 and C being such that the amount of movement executed by the pneumatic is substantially reproduced at the point 23, while the motion may be given an accentuated acceleration or be adapted, as already described Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination in an instrument for producing music, a hammer for striking a string, a device having a moving part opera tively connected to transmit movement to said hammer and means for modifying said motion optionally either in amount or in its speed at different intervals of its period in transmission from said device to said ham mer.

2. In combination in an instrument for producing music, a. hammer for striking a string, a device having a moving part operatively connected to transmit movement to said hammer and means for either changing said movement to any desired length or converting it from zero to a maximum velocity during the period thereof in transmission from said device to said hammer.

3. In combination in an instrument for producing music, aneans for producing mechanical movement, a hammer for striking a string, a. lever to transmit said movement to said hammer, a curved fulcrum surface for said lever for changing the speed of the movement transmitted during the period thereof and means for moving said fulcrum surface and positioning an edge thereof so that the movement transmitted thereby may be quantitively adjusted.

l. In combination in a mechanical piano, piano player or like instrument, a plurality of pneumatic operating devices, hammers for striking the strings, levers to transmit movement from said devices to said hammers, a curved fulcrum surface for said le vers for changing the speed of the movement transmitted during the period thereof and means for moving said fulcrum surface and positioning an edge thereof so that the movement transmitted may be quantitively adjusted.

5. A mechanical musicproducing device in which levers transmitting motion to the hammer actions are provided with an adjustable curved fulcrum surface, an angular edge of which is constrained to move in a ment to said hammer comprising a lever 00- operating with a fulcrum formed by a curved surface, the breadth of which exceeds the distance from the rocking point to the movement transmitting end of said lever.

7. In combination in mechanism of the type set forth, a moving element of an operating device, a striking hammer and means for transmitting the movement of said element to said hammer comprising a lever c0- operating with a fulcrum formed by a curved surface having an angular edge and movable in such a manner that said edge travels a path coincident with the edge of said lever when in its initial position.

8. In combination in mechanism of the type set forth, a moving element of an operating device, a striking hammer and means for transmitting the movement of said element to said hammer comprising a lever cooperating with a movable fulcrum formed by a curved surface, the breadth of which exceeds the distance from the rocking point to the movement transmitting end of said lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN BLAOKWOOD MQEWEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

